steviej

it will be interesting if a test drive proves the transmission has actually been "revised and improved". a test drive this fall will clearly tell. sj

bartkat, if you are talking Toyota oil filters now, then that is an awesome price. Do you have a website for them and what did they get you for shipping (assuming this the dealer is not near you)? sj

Sunbeam, I would expect the 04 to have the tranny issues as long as they maintain the throttle by wire system. As stated by LOC member concord, I think that is were the problem lies. As for the suspension upgrades. The chassis of your 98 ES is an MCV20. This chassis is shared by the Camry and the Solara. So if you can find any upgrade for the Camry or the Solara, it will most likely fit your ES. The 2002+ ES chassis is MCV30. And again, is shared by the 02+ Camry and Solara, so I think the same applies if aftermarket companies haven't already started to market products for the ES specifically. Eibach has. Wheelrz, Welcome to the world of comfort, quality and quiet. Wait till you take a long drive on a country road. My god, it is an awesome ride. I don't mind sitting in traffic anymore. Just drop in some cool jazz or some new age like Tangerine Dream or Steely Dan - Aja. It will blow you away. Now if you want to pull 30 second lap times at Indy or LeMans, you bought the wrong car. steviej

I think the Is would be a fun car, but I couldn't fit width wise. My shoulders are too wide, and the left shoulder hit the side......very uncomfortable. But it looks like a fun car. Steve, buy one for her. Tell her I told you to. ;) Speed, As for the Honda Odessy, have you priced them lately. If you like the odessy, then look at the 04 Toyota Sienna. Has the fold into the floor rear seats like the Odessy now and the same 3MZ-FE motor as the RX330 and soon to be ES330. My best friends just got one cause they gonna have a litter. It is an awesome mini-van (it ain't so mini). Alot of the creature comforts are carried over from Lexus. steviej

Steve, thanks for posting your intentions. I was ready to start putting money away for October. When the Enkeis/Toyos come off in mid fall, I have to decide on what tire to get for the stock rims. The Bridgestone RE92 that came stock on the car in will not make in through the next winter and they only had 24k on them when I put on the Enkeis. Interestingly enough, I just got an email from TireRack (I'm on their email list for survey results) and the ExtremeContact was one that was listed. The price is defineately better than the Michelins. Almost half the price. Let me know opinion if you get them if it is by Oct. If not, then I will hit you up with my opinion. The other option I am throwing around is the Goodyear Aquatred 3. I had the original Aquatred on my SSEi and totally loved them. Quiet, lasted almost 50k, good in snow, awesome in rain, what more could you ask for. steviej

ticman, you also mentioned the K&N oil filters. They are nice too, cost $8 to $10 depending on where you get them. The are as good as Mobil 1 filters and the Toyota OEM filter for the same price. The K&N filters have an advantage over those two filters though. They have a fitting for a socket wrench to help get them off and on. No need for an adjustable oil filter wrench any more. The filter placement on the ES is high up on the block, in the front, right under the exhaust manifold. It can get tricky and WARM up in there. Plus you take a chance at a little discomport if you choose to replace the filter on a "warm" engine and your wrists are exposed. steviej

unfortunately, TRD doesn't make one for the ES, or at least I could not find one on there website nor on Carson Toyotas website. K&N does. They came out with one for the 02+ model last March. I swear by them. I had one in my old SSEi for the 75k miles that I owned it and never had a problem. Speed, just by not ever having to buy a filter again, the K&N has paid for itself and the recharge kit. Anything after that is sauce for the goose. steviej

check the two belts too. If they are dried and cracked the need to be replaced. They become more pliable as they get warm, hence the reason for the noise going away. The belts are not that much and it is always a good idea to keep them in the best of conditions. Whatever you do, DO NOT use any of those belt dressings or talc poweders that say they stop belt squeal. This is only covering up the problem and setting you up for a problem later. You do not want to be stuck on a highway at midnight out in the middle of nowhere cause you old dried cracked powdered but silent belt decided to break. steviej

what he (SpeedRacer959) said. steviej

John, I think you hit it right on the head, especially with the "drive by wire" system that we have. I also think you have found an honest service manager. Steve (SW03ES) is absolutely right. Personally I think the tranny is actually very smooth if you let it shift the way it was designed. I think the mass of complaints are also arising from people that want the aggresive accelration of the conventional throttle system and the smoothness of the current tranny. Look at the number of sales of this sedan compared to the number or owners that have complained. There must be a massive number of owners who don't know there is an issue. However, Lexus has tried to do something about one aspect of the concerns registered. I commend them for that. I think also like concord stated the problem is actually not in the tranny or the ECU, but inherent in the throttle system since it is computer controlled and electronic too. Every system has a work-around. Whether it be the computer system at work or driving my Lex, there is always something I have to learn to make it work best for me. I wish you all good luck and smooth driving. Peace. steviej

I have to agree with SW03ES, you can learn to play the pedal and you can have the best of acceleration. It will take some time, but it can be done. I have no problems with quick get aways now. As for the shaking, maybe you have a loose motor mount or something. You should have the dealer look at it. I have to look at the tach with I am at stand still just to make sure the car is running. It is so smooth that I am the type to accidentally think it is off and hit the key again. :chairshot: steviej

Personally I like them in auto mode. The DRLs are on, this helps me to be seen especially by that unobservant driver that is always on their cell phone or that driver that is not the best at the vision test. I never have to worry about putting my lights on. I never have to worry about forgetting to shut my lights off. It is a convenience item that I have grown accustomed too and with the stages of CRS (can't remember stuff) increasing in my brain, it helps. steviej

sramnari: by ???, I think sk is asking what do you mean by air/fuel sensor. If not, then I am asking. perhaps your mechanic means the oxygen sensor that is located in the front bank? the O2 sensor does play a part in air/fuel mixture calculations. Why do you think it is broken, is/was the check engine light on and the code retreived indicating a bad O2 sensor? steviej

then it would be the ES430. steviej

there is no noticable increase in performance and gas mileage increase is variable depending on applications. I personally picked up 2-3 mpg on both city and highway with a K&N in my 02. If you look at investment vs. total savings in a 10 year period...it is a no brainer. Advantages are: 1. you never have to buy an air filter again. at $12-20 per filter every 15,000 miles over 10 years, that adds up. 2. if you do see an increase in gas mileage then there is a major savings in money for gas here. 3. if you do not see an increase in mileage, the filter will not hurt your car nor does it void your warranty. the cost is <$40. Disadvantages: every 40-50k miles you have to take the filter out, wash it with a special cleaner (obtainable as part of the recharging kit avaialable at K&N dealers), and then re-oil the filter with their special oil (the other part of the recharge kit). bottom line, it couldn't hurt to try so GO FOR IT. steviej

Yankee Candle: "Clean Cotton". smells like a load of freshly laundered sheets and towels. the trick is to pull the plastic wrap off a little at a time. steviej

chill, I had to change my filter at about 24k. It smelled like really bad feet and you notice it (it hits you like a ton of bricks) when the AC is just turned on for the first time. Changing the filter got rid of the smell instantly. We have only one filter and it is exactly where amf1932 stated. It is also about $57 from the Lexus parts guy. Takes a total of 5 minutes. steviej

02 ES, HATE the parking brake. I won't call it an emergency brake cause you can't use it in an emergency situation. It should have been a step on, hand pull release for off. LOVE the premium sound system. 6 CD changer right in the dash. Auto reverse tape deck with all the little convieniences. HATE that there are not audio controls (even just volume and scan) on the steering wheel. My 93 SSEi had 8 buttons on the steering wheel for all this. LOVE the entire interior styling and the looks I get for my mods and the comments from people that ride in it. HATE where the oil filter is placed. I am going to burn my wrist one of these times. LOVE the placement of the cabin ac filter and all the storage bins and the huge glove compartment. HATE the cost of parts LOVE the exterior styling, the rain sensing wipers and the brightness of the HIDs matched to PIAA highs. Not thrilled with the transmission. Very thrilled with my ability to overcome the tranny and elicit some exciting drivability out of this car. Overall, I think this is a very wise choose I made and am very pleased with the purchase. Respectfully submitted. steviej

see my reply to this post in your other thread. I can't help wonder if this recent failure was related to your recent throttle body cleaning. sj

without telling your mechainc about the check engine light, ask him/her to show you what he cleaned the throttle body with. Tell hime you want to know so you can pick some up and have on hand. When he shows you the can of carberator cleaner, read the can thoroughly and see if it says "Safe For O2 Sensors" anywhere on it. I'll wage a bet that the mechanic used regular everyday "GUNK" carberator cleaner on your throttle body and it wiped out one of your O2 sensors. If the cleaner did not say safe for o2 sensors, then tell you mechanic about the check engine light and ask him to replace the O2 sensor he damaged. If the cleaner was safe for O2 sensors, then you may just have a sensor that has crapped out. It happens and they are expensive. Be careful of the $30 Bosch sensors at Autozone, sometimes they don't fit or don't clear the codes. steviej

Chris, what about a rack setup on top. I've got a Yakima setup for my bike and 17' sea kayak. Very nice and easy to pop on and off. I had a adjustable mount for the back of the car (my SSEi) that was very nice, but I gave it to a friend. I got it at a place called racksmith. they do internet sales too. here is the link: http://www.racksmith.com

the vinegar and newspaper does work. I'll back Steve on this one. I also agree with SW03ES and must say it is not just Lexus. Dodge actually sent out a letter to owners explaining a film that develops due to the plastic releasing a harmless "gas" that will create a film on the window." just out of curiosity....do you smoke in the car? steviej

I had this, too at about 24,000 miles in. (27,500 on car now). I simply replaced the cabin AC filter. All better. I did catch a clip in the paper of another fix. It involves a disinfectant (I chose Lysol original) Spray the disinfectant into the air intake at the base of the windshield/hood for 45 seconds while the AC in on high and on cold. Then spray again for 45 seconds while the AC is on high and on hot. Do this for 5-7 days in a row. It helps to get the disinfectant into the air ducts and cooling fins. This will kill whatever was/is growing. I found it was growing in my filter. Replacement was the solution. Search on AC odor....many threads about it. This is not specific to Lexus either. It is becoming a common complaint among electronic climate controled vehicles. steviej

with all the bad publicity on newer Lexus transmissions, I am sure improvement has become first priority for 05 models and greater. This will hurt their market share and standing in customer satisfaction ratings. ******* Alan, there is a guy on CL, that had the fix and his service manager is replacing his ECU cause they fricked up the ECU while installing the fix. Here is an idea. Suggest to your Lexus dealer that they pull an ECU from an 03 in the lot that has not had the fix. Put that in your ES. Then they order a replacement (probably will be "fixed") and have them put that one in the ES that donated the unfixed ECU. Like I said before, threaten with small claims court and you will see some action. Lexus doesn't like bad publicity. steviej

I knew that was coming sooner or later. :D :chairshot: steviej